Hi i was wondering if any one can help me with this problem.

recently i bougt a reed dry top and whilt out in the water it was great
kept my upper body 100% dry and warm i have only worn it a dozen
times max but after washing it and leaving it for half a week (the next
time i got out) to dry i found that water had got into the inside of the
wrist seals and collected all i did was sqeeze it and the water came out
but this has got me questioning reeds equipment, so does any one
have the same problem or do they know a way of fixing the seals or
should i send it back.

thanks alex

How did you wash it?? washing machines will do bad work to it.. you should always rinse it off and let it drip dry and air dry out of the sun.. unless it was in fresh water then just hang it up to dry..

As far as the gaskets. get some 303 aerospace protectant, it will protect the latex gaskets from getting cracked and help them with the seal.


Don't know anything about reed drytops so i can't help you there.. do a thorough inspection of your gaskets to see if you can spot problems?

this is what confused me both seals appear to be fine and as for washing i washed it along with me in the shower which wasnt particularly hot, but i think i will try that 303 stuff looks pretty good.

thanks,
alex

I only ever wash my gear with water from the hose pipe outside. Never any soap. Seems to have worked well so far.

Try some talc powder also on the latex seals. Helps to absorb any damaging oils like those found naturally on your skin and from sunscreen etc.

Latex also stretches a little. If you cut them too large in the beginning then it's trouble now... Hope that is not the case. Good luck!

that's well-known behavior of the reed wrist seals. the waterproof fabric is folded double on the wrists and neck, which has the advantage that it's a lot more durable and will never fray or tear, because there is no fabric edge. it also makes the (non)edges very comfortable on your skin.

a disadvantage is that that folded fabric can not be made 100% waterproof, so it will suck in a little water, especially when the water is cold.

it's no big deal if you know how to handle it: fold the wrist inside out, so that the seam that can let the water is is hanging lower than the rest of the wrist part. that way the water will drip out, or squeeze it a little in that position if you want to speed it up.

i don't really find it a big problem and overall i really like the reed tops: it's not as dry as some of the double-sealed tops out there, but for my taste it's dry enough, the chill-cheating concept works, and it's extremely comfortable and durable.